Bulgarian cuisine is Mediterranean in concept, but with Balkan, Turkish, Greek and Russian influences. Based on fresh vegetables, yogurt (Lactobacillus bulgaricus was discovered in Bulgarian milk), cheese, grilled meat, homemade bread. Here are the classics you must try.
🥗 Salads and starters
- Shopska salad — national salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onion, cheese (on top). Always order.
- Ovcharska salad — shopska + egg, ham, olives.
- Snezhanka — yogurt, cucumber, walnuts, dill.
- Lyutenitsa — paste of peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, garlic. Spread on bread.
- Kyopoolu — paste of roasted aubergines and garlic.
🍲 Soups
- Tarator — cold soup of yogurt, cucumber, dill, walnuts, garlic. Summer, refreshes in heat.
- Shkembe chorba — soup of beef tripe with garlic, vinegar, hot pepper. Hangover cure.
- Bob chorba — thick bean soup with savory.
- Kurban chorba — traditional lamb soup with bulgur.
🍖 Main dishes
- Kebapcheta — elongated minced-meat patties, grilled. Served with lyutenitsa and fried potatoes.
- Kyufteta — round minced-meat patties.
- Kavarma — braised meat (pork or lamb) with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, rice. In clay pot.
- Kapama (Bansko) — layered dish of meat, sauerkraut, rice, in clay pot.
- Sarmi — vine or cabbage leaves with rice and meat filling.
- Moussaka — layers of potatoes, minced meat, egg-milk cream on top. Similar to Greek but with potatoes (not aubergines).
- Cheverme (Rhodopes) — whole lamb roasted on spit. Served on holidays.
🥖 Bread and pastry
- Banitsa — pie of filo dough and cheese, most popular breakfast. Variants with pumpkin, spinach, leek.
- Pogacha — round white bread, ritual for holidays.
- Mekitsi — fried dough balls, served in morning with jam and yogurt.
- Tutmanik — savoury bread with sheep cheese.
🍷 Drinks
- Rakia — main spirit in Bulgaria. Grape or plum, 40–50%. Start every meal with a shot, on empty stomach. With shopska salad.
- Bulgarian wine — Thracian Lowland (red Mavrud, Melnik, Pamid), Rose Valley. Wineries: Bessa Valley, Castra Rubra, Villa Yustina.
- Beer — Kamenitza, Zagorka, Shumensko. 1.50–3 BGN.
- Boza — traditional fermented grain drink. Not for every taste.
- Ayran — yogurt with water and salt. Refreshes.
🍰 Desserts
- Baklava — layered pastry with walnuts and syrup.
- Tulumba — fried elongated dough, in syrup.
- Gyuvech — baked pumpkin with walnuts and honey.
- Mlyako s oriz — rice pudding.
🍴 Recommended taverns and restaurants
- Sofia: Hadjidraganov's Houses, Manastirska Magernitsa, Made in Home.
- Plovdiv: Hemingway, Pavaj, Smoky.
- Veliko Tarnovo: Hadji Nikoli Inn, Shtastlivetza.
- Bansko: Mehana Dedo Pene (since 1854).
- Varna: Stariya Chinar, Mr. Baba.